It is an undisputed fact that being a step-parent is more challenging than being a biological parent. When you are a child’s biological parent, you can assert a level of authority which you would otherwise not be able to. Step-parents need to carefully thread the line between friendship and authority. If you are a step-parent or going to become one, below are 5 tips you should bear in mind.

Firstly, you need to remember that when you are a step-parent, you first need to be a friend. Unless your step-child is very young, any step-parent is bound to face some amount of hostility. This is especially true if there are teenagers to deal with. You should not instantly try to become the parent of your step-children. This will only backfire and create tensions in your new relationships. Instead, you should try to first start out as friends, failing which, you will find yourself in a power struggle. In doing so, it may help for you to offer tangible small gifts of friendship to your stepchild. However, do not overdo this as older stepchildren can definitely see through this. For instance, if your stepchild is stressed over an upcoming test, then you may want to present him with some lucky charm that would give a confidence boost.

The second tip would be to discuss parenting rules with your new spouse. Each family is different and so will the parenting rules. As such, it is important for you to be on the same page as your spouse on this regard. Discuss your respective strategies for rewards, chores, punishments, allowances and so on. This way, both of you will be able to come up with a mutually agreeable way of doing things. Similarly, the children will not be confused with each other having different ways of doing things. The transition for children to accept a new member in the family will be much easier if both parents are in sync with the way they do things.

The third tip and fairly important one would be to encourage your stepchild to spend quality time with his/her biological parent(s). It is natural for stepchildren to feel threatened when his/her parents gets married again to a new person. They feel that the new member is snatching their biological parent away from them. If you consciously promote the practice of spending on-to-one time with biological parents, the children will not feel like there is any competition of affection. This makes the transition from friend to step-parent a whole lot easier.

The fourth tip is to know what your boundaries are. A step-parent can never match up to a biological parent and this is especially pertinent where disciplining is concerned. Over-disciplining your step-child can prove to be detrimental as the kid may begin to despise you. Instead, take a step back and allow the biological parent to discipline his/her own children at least initially, till they can accept you as a step-parent. Once a considerable amount of time has been spent trying to earn the children’s respect and affection, then you can begin discipline or at least stand the chance of being listened to.

Finally, you may want to join a support group for step-parents. In such groups, you will be able to receive support and share issues you may be facing. By learning from fellow step-parents, you may be able to gain some valuable insights.

This article seeks to discuss 5 key step-parents mantras which will be useful for blended families or step-parents. These tips will allow step-parents to gradually form a lasting relationship with their stepchildren and deal with the challenges involved effectively.

The first mantra is to first earn respect rather than aiming at affinity with your step children. Gaining respect is of paramount importance and lays the primary foundation for a loving and supportive blended family environment. Try to gain respect with stepchildren instead of aiming at a great friendship.

The second mantra to remember is that you can never replace a biological parent. Every family is admittedly different, however one thing remains constant. No one can ever replace the status a biological parent has. As such, never try to become the parent for the child may then begin to resent you. This will make it tougher for you to build a loving family environment. As a step-parent, you are now involved in and part of a team which is responsible for the healthy growth of the children in that family. If this means having a strong relationship with only their biological, so be it. You cannot try and impose your presence and status on the stepchild.

The third mantra is to never cross your bounds. As much as it will take you time to get adjusted to stepchildren, the children have a tougher time getting adjusted to a new parent. In many cases, it takes a long time for children to get used to the presence of another parent like figure. Do not impose your authority on your stepchildren where discipline is concerned. Instead, let the biological parent handle the discipline at least initially. If you exert your authority too soon into the relationship, it may very well backfire on you. The children may then begin to despise you and frictions may be caused between you and your new spouse.

The fourth mantra is to bear in mind that it is never all about you. Although you would like to have some importance in the family, it is a very challenging task. Being a step parent is no cake walk and will need lots of adjustments. As such, you will have lots to learn from your new spouse as well as the children he may have. Different children are different in terms of temperament, personality and so on. As such,as difficult it would be for a young children to accept you as a parent, you will need to adjust your actions according to the children. Being a stepchild is no easy task as this means sharing the time, love and attention of a parent with an adult who may look threatening. Always remember this when your stepchild does not give you the respect you feel you deserve or when she fails to put on proper behavior  The road is tough for the child to navigate and you should help him/her tread that road with you as a support.

Finally, you may want to get the support of support groups who consist of people in the same situation as you. This way, you will have someone to lean on if you find the journey difficult. Additionally, you will also be able to gain valuable tips on how to create a happy blended family.

                            

If you are expecting your first child, then you will one of those who can easily be blown away by the tremendous number of things that are available for your little bundle of joy. Admittedly, when having a baby, there are many things out there which you may want or need to for your new baby. Below are 5 very important things that your new baby will need and it would be best to have these ready before your baby is born.

The most important furniture that you would need in your home is a crib for the baby. Just as how adults need a comfortable and secure place to rest in, the same applies to babies. Cribs act as a standalone bed for your baby in the initial years of his life. A baby crib is designed to nurture a baby and keep him safe and comfortable during rest times. Cribs come in various forms and costs. However, it is not necessary to spend a whole lot of money on a crib.

The second item necessary for new mums is a bottle set. This may be necessary even if you are going to be breastfeeding. These bottles, if made of good quality, last a long time and you could even use them for your future babies. Bottles are usually inexpensive and come in a set which would be ideal even as the baby grows. Breastfeeding mums may still need bottles if they decide to pump milk and use bottles to feed their babies.

Once the bottles are bought, the third item which is a must-have for new mums would be a bottle warmer. Some mums may find this an optional item but a bottle warmer is a convenient device to quickly heat up milk for your baby. Bottle warmers can be useful in heating up milk and bottle food for your babies. Bottle warmers are extremely portable and can be brought anywhere around the house.

The fourth item to have is a baby monitor. The baby monitor offers a sense of comfort and safety for both baby and parent. The monitor allows you to be aware of any situation requiring immediate attention regardless where in the home the baby is. Baby monitors range from basic ones to more advanced ones.

Finally, you would want to invest in a stroller which best suits your lifestyle. There are many brands available in the market, with different features catering to various needs. For instance, if you lead an active lifestyle, you may want to invest in an all-terrain stroller which you can push around anywhere. If you travel often, you may want a lightweight stroller which would be easy for transporting. Move the strollers around and see which one you are most comfortable with.

Children don’t understand things the way adults do. And if you are a parent, you must have realized how difficult it is to make your children understood what you are trying to convey. Developing healthy communication pattern with your children, where speaking and listening along with paraphrasing is the key to develop healthier relationship with your child.

When it comes to parenting skills, then communication tops the list. If you want to know how good a parent you are, then just focus on your interaction with your child. Doesn’t matter your child is a toddler or teenager do communicate to build up a strong understanding. There are some very basic steps for a healthy communication between you and your child.

• Make a positive impression by letting them know that you are interested and want to get involved. They can always ask for your help as you are always there when the help is needed.
• When the child wants to talk to you then the first thing is to turn off all the distraction such as the TV or newspaper.
• Prefer some privacy while talking to your child unless there is an urgent need for a third person. The best talk with your child must be done in private with no one interfering.
• Make sure that you don’t embarrass the child or say something bad in front of others that will worsen the situation and certainly it is not a sign of good communication or parenting skills.
• If you are angry with the child, then make sure you talk to the child when you regained your coolness of mind. Talking when you are angry might lead to a worse argument ruining the relationship with your child.
• You have to be a good listener even if you are tired and don’t want to talk. Without making an effort you can’t win the trust of a child. Be calm and composed and listen to all the queries of a child.
• Kids always want someone to listen to them actively without interrupting them in the middle of the storytelling. Be an active listener to become the best friend of your child.
• If you want to ask any question then ask what happened rather than why it happened.
• After listening to the incident if you have some information about the incident that you know or been told then do share with the child.
• Mind the words you are using as it might demoralize him so, avoid words such as dumb, stupid and fool.
• If you want a healthy communication then do praise him and keep a positive attitude like you can do it or great work, which will make him happy and confident.

It is normal for a child to lie about homework. However, most of the parents find it a major crisis to deal with! When you ask them about any homework, your child simply says no, but later you find out that many assignments are not completed and there is also a test day after tomorrow. If the lying continues, it’ll certainly hamper his studies and might lead to other problems in future. Now the big question arises – how to make your child stop lying about homework and help him to complete all the tasks honestly? There are certain tips that can help you out in making your child honest and sincere. Have a look!

• When it is a regular task, then the best thing that you can do is to get a planner. Give your child a daily planner and make him understand, how to write down all the homework and reports. The planner will help both the child and the parent to keep a track of all the work given and to complete the work in time. Tell your child to go through that planner every day to make sure that the child is using it properly.

• The next thing that you can do is to verify that your child is really working on the planner, which means that all the assignment and homework are written down in a correct manner and have been completed on time. Only one person can help you with the verification is the teacher. On verifying all the work with your child’s teacher, you can easily find out when he/she is lying about work.

• Teaching about honesty and its benefits can help the child in many ways. To create awareness about the right things you can spend time with your child and teach him about honesty. You can teach him about your views and expectation about honesty. That’s not all you can give him good valid reasons for being honest and tell him about all the benefits that can be gained with being honesty such as if you are honest, others will trust you more and you will have freedom.

• Practice makes everything perfect so does the behavior of truth telling. Start practicing being honest with your child and you can do it by playing games like asking three questions to your child before he or she leaves for school. Now you know the answer to the two questions but your child doesn’t know which question it is so, the answer will reveal what’s going on. Always track the right answers and don’t forget to praise him for his truth speaking. If you find out he or she is lying then confront it, and re-teach the lessons.

If it’s your wedding day and you are looking forward to do something special for your parents then nothing’s better than a special gift to your parents. They are the most important people in your life who eagerly wait for this special day of yours and to add something extra to their happiness you can always appreciate them by giving a wonderful present that will treasure your wedding day moment forever.  The idea is perfect but the only problem is to decide on what will be the ideal gift for this occasion. There are some very special gift ideas to help you out with your selection. Check it out!

• Memorable and Loving gifts for parents

The wedding occasion is the most happiest and memorable day for both the families and everyone want to cherish the moment forever, so you can go for a beautiful set of jewellery that they can keep with them reminding them of the special day of their children’s wedding. Another perfect gift can be a memorable picture reminding them of the old days.

When you don’t have the idea of what to give, it’s always better to go for not so hefty albums as you can always get some precious and beautiful albums in a lower price. In the case of photo album, you have many options to make it memorable as you can add pictures of you with them when you are young or can take some beautiful snaps of the wedding occasion to fill the album with beautiful memories.

In case of jewellery, you can also customize it with many ideas and it doesn’t mean to be very expensive, as any gift from the heart will be truly appreciated.

• Gifts that are used in daily life

If you know the likes and dislike of your parents, then choosing a gift, which can be used for everyday living, is quite easy. If your parents really love throwing barbeque parities, then what could be better than a new grill station as a gift that can be used for the parties. A gift certificate is a very good gift if your mother loves shopping as she can buy anything she wants making it hers day for shopping.

You can also go for kitchen table decoration items like silverwares, designer glasses and knives. These are the best items for an amazing dinner or lunch party.

Always remember your gift need not be very expensive unless you have lots to spend. Gift something that is filled with true emotions and that can be treasured for a lifetime.

There are several other gifts you can try. For instance, you can gift your parents a holiday. Yes! They never really had a holiday since you were born. So, why not make your wedding special by gifting them a well deserved holiday?

Toddlers-they just seem to grow rapidly and you as a parent have to follow every move, every change and every sequence of their life to ensure they develop holistically. It is very important to keep a track of these changes, as many kids may need special attention because of their extra skills or other extraordinary development routine. Many parents want to know about the development of their children for which they consult teachers and doctors.

Helping you child in finding and nurturing his/her abilities is necessary. The best way to help your child develop is to spend time with him/her and have fun while they’re learning all the new things. Don’t expose your toddlers to the electronic devices for a long time, never more than two hours. In addition, it would be great if they receive electronics access only after they do a reward worthy, acceptable behavior, like completing their homework on time, eating vegetables etc. There are some fun activities for the preschool toddlers with their parents, such as reading a storybook as it also develops the reading and visualizing skills. So get one preschool book list.

Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So, make sure that with the indoor games the child must be exposed to outside physical activities and games. Outdoor games allow child to engage in further exploration and physical development.

Toddlers develop on emotional, social, cognitive and physical levels. Therefore, by the time they reach a particular age, they can walk by, run, sit on a chair alone, can turn pages, kicks the ball, build a tower, do simple mathematics or remember names and colors. Emotionally the child develops and shows responses to physical affection, becomes possessive for parents (especially the opposite sex), craves for some independence and wants answers for his queries.

By the age of two, a child’s cognitive development is at its peak, with the child learning new words and phrases every day. Physical development includes running, riding a tricycle, can button and unbutton and can wear socks. In case of emotional development loves adventure and music with a great sense of personal identity.

Around 3 yrs. of age, the kid starts responding to the verbal guidance and knows that he is a boy or a girl. This is the time s/he enjoys the company of others and love group activities. There is a significant growth in intellectual level as the child can speak sentences, more than 800 words, tell a story based on imagination, and recite a nursery rhyme. On physical development, the kid can throw a ball and dress well. Emotional development comes with often negative, defiant attitude, and needs control freedom.

When the child is 4 yrs. old, he/she becomes highly social, cooperative and talkative. Can speak fluently with more than 1500 words, can tell stories, read, draw, write and recite poems. In physical development the kid can hop, ride, skate and have smooth muscle action. Emotional development comes with self-centeredness, well-adjusted and home centered attitude.

At the age of 5, the child is highly skilled and organized. He/she has a special friend group and carry out responsibilities. In case of intellectual level the child now knows colors, counts to 10 and starts to know the difference between fact and fiction.

Knowing how your toddler develops at different age would not only help you to understand his developmental patterns, but also allow you to grow with him, aware you about how you need to deal with his growth making parenting more fun and interactive.

Having a baby is rejoicing, but with a baby comes a set of responsibilities that every parent has to follow to ensure that their baby develops holistically and sees the world in perfect sense. At the same time, parents have to adjust their routines to ensure that they perfectly modulated themselves according to their baby’s demands. One of the major adjustment that every parent has to make is to devoid themselves of sleep so that their child could develop a sleep pattern.

You have to adjust your own sleeping pattern with the baby because a child’s sleeping pattern changes from time to time. One thing you must keep in mind is that babies need a lot of sleep but it takes time to soothe them to sleep. Therefore, you must nap at times when your baby is asleep so that you don’t lose your energy when s/he wakes up at odd hours.

In the first few weeks the baby will sleep in a two hour period as they have really small tummies and they feel hungry frequently in a short span of time making them awake. They immediately go to sleep after nursing.

When the baby is one month older you will notice a change in the sleeping pattern as the baby is going to sleep for a long stretch for around three hours. You will find that the baby is sleeping for 2-3 hours in the daytime and staying awake for a bit longer after feeding and nursing. Try to notice the sign like yawning, getting a glazed look and other sleepy habits because once you understood your baby’s sleeping habit you can prepare a bedtime routine.

When the baby is getting older say from three months to six months then you will notice that the baby is sleeping through the night. In the first few days it might not be continuous but now the baby can hold the food for a long time and sleep without getting hungry frequently. But there might be some days when the baby will set back into the old pattern of waking up all through the night so, it’s better to make plan for that.

Doctors say that before the baby is one year older the sleeping pattern may vary so when one thing is not working you can always go for the other solution. In nine months you will find the baby is sleeping continuously for a long time and you will also see that the baby is taking only one afternoon nap. So, try to adjust the nap time as if it’s too early then the baby might be irritated till the bedtime and if it’s too late then you might have a hard time during bedtime. Make a proper nap time routine so that everyone completes their sleep properly

Since children usually make lasting bonds with parents and foster parents, they fall victims to the adverse effects of parental loss and separation. It is true that no matter how you say it, the child is going to get hurt after hearing the bad news. It is of utmost importance to use good words and better ways to break the news, so that the child can recover from it, understand the consequences and the changes it might bring to his or her life.

When the news of separation is related to the departure or illness, then parents must talk to the child together and discuss why a departure is necessary. Helping your child understand the necessity is crucial if you don’t want him to feel cheated and dejected later. When it is about divorce, each parent must talk to the child to should avoid a situation where the child has to be a part of conflict and have to choose between parents. No matter what the situation is, parents must make the child understand that there is no diminishing of love or positive concern and everything will be fine even if the family changes.

The best part is to help the child realize that change in family dynamics, meaning that the father and mother won’t be husband and wife won’t change his relationship with them or affect their love and concern for the child.

Don’t wait too long before breaking the news, especially if you don’t want him to know from some other source. When you try to postpone the news it severely affects the child, as they are very sensitive to handle/take the emotional turmoil. Telling the news early helps the child in two ways. First, it prevents the child from tension and anxiety that might build-up, as the child would be wondering about various things happening in the family and Secondly, it also gives the child sometime to raise questions and adjust with the changes in the family.

The next important thing after the loss or separation is the time to say good-byes. After they have adjusted to the situation, you must give them the opportunity to express their good-byes.

The process of saying actual good-byes to places, people or family is considered to be the most healing process for the child. The last good-byes help the child to acknowledge all the good things that are lost and allow him to express the feeling face to face involved in the situation. The wishing and blessing from the last satisfying good-byes are much better than the complicate no good-byes which cause more grief from the loss. Children who do not have the permission to say good-byes might suffer from acute grief and more likely, it causes additional damage to their basic sense of trust and love in a relationship.

With the advent of television and internet, many parents are finding it difficult to force their kids to leave the idiot box or shut down the computer and exercise. In fact, childhood obesity is on a rise for past few years because of reduction in exercise time. Many kids don’t even exercise or play physically enduring games, making them more prone to obesity and life style related diseases.

The virtual world is very addictive and although many parents understood this, yet they are unable to deal with it. Kids always prefer something easy, tasty and entertaining, so exercise and vegetables have a tough time against Xbox, Cartoons and Chips. Various studies prove that in the modern lifestyle, maximum numbers of people are unhealthy and prone to diseases.

The study conducted by National Center for Health Statistics says that 30% of US adults that is around 60 million people are suffering from obesity and the rate of teens suffering from the disease has tripled since 1980. Many parents think if my children are not obese, then why bother about physical exercise. They must understand the benefits of physical exercise as we are living in a world with limited walking or any physical labor.

The main question arises that how to make children getting at least 60 minutes of physical exercise. Here are some few fun tips that will make the children do some physical activity every day.

• Lead the way: Kids are more influenced when their parents lead the way so, make yourself a good example and start doing it and the kids will naturally follow you.
• Do it together: When health and fitness are the main priority then start spending some quality time with your kids. It would be more fun when you both engage yourselves in the physical activity.
• Make it fun: The best way to make your kid involve in the activity is to make it more fun by playing music and dancing. Go for roller blading, bikes, and baseball bats and for toddlers try big wheels, pedal cars and tricycles.
• Cheer them on: Encouragement and support have the most positive effect on children. The motivation makes them built their self-esteem and they enjoy doing it repeatedly.
• Turn it off: The time allotment for TV and video games must be limited but don’t be too harsh as it must be done in a positive way.

Try following these tips and be patience. This may lead to a positive outcome. Not only will it prompt your children to exercise, but it will also bring you closer as a family, help you form a unique bond!